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Saturday, 12 March 2016

A Searing Acquaintance by J L Ashton Blog Tour - Excerpt and Giveaway

Today the blog tour for debut author J L Ashton's modern Pride & Prejudice-inspired read, 'A Searing Acquaintance' drops by with a lovely long excerpt and a chance to win a copy of the book for yourself! Read on for more details.

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Excerpt from Chapter 4

Darcy headed into his office. He picked up the
holiday-themed Tupperware and a few cards from his desk, added them to the
shopping bag Sara had filled with the stray gifts, and sank into his leather
chair. He glanced down at the dog bed behind him. Coco was in the middle of a
dog dream, her paws flexing, her gray muzzle quivering. He smiled, tilted his
head back, and closed his eyes. The long holiday weekend with his aunts,
uncles, and cousins would be exhausting.

He knew Charles was still seeing Jane Bennet.
Hell, after barely two months of dating, she was practically living with his
best friend. It came so easily to Charles. See a girl, buy her a drink, and
fall in love. There was always a girl, always a date to be had. The man was
never lonely, never alone. Darcy wasn’t sure Bingley even knew how to be
by himself: to sit in a room and think, listen to music, or read. He always
kept busy. He was not a solitary man. Unlike me. He pushed away that
unwelcome thought.

Darcy compared romance to the baseball games
his mother had taught him to love. Three strikes and you’re out. Bingley knew
how to swing and connect with women; he got on base—made a date—every time. But
Darcy always knew by the third date, the third conversation, or the third anything whether he could or should
invest any more time and emotion on a woman. His relationships were always
short-lived. On paper, his life might resemble that of a playboy or man about
town, but few of those women decorating his arm had ever had him in their beds.
And none had ever been in his. He envied Bingley’s ease even as he knew he
could never live that life. Nor would he have given Jane Bennet a second look.

But her sister? He hadn’t expected to give her
a second thought. But he had. And a third and a fourth. He'd had a handful of
conversations with Elizabeth Bennet. He'd spent most of a night with her:
sleeping, talking, kissing. He couldn’t forget the kissing. He had a hard time
not thinking about it. He'd played soccer with her, cooked with her, driven
with her. She'd been sweet with Coco. And though he tried not to admit it, she
didn't have any of the normal strikes against her. She wasn’t shallow, didn’t
appear obsessed by her looks or her clothes, she was pretty and funny and
smart. All right, very pretty and very funny and very smart. He’d seen the thick paperback copy of Dos Passos’s U.S.A. sticking out of her bag. That was
interesting. She was normal and read important novels. He didn’t meet many
women like that.

For the first time in a very long while, he
had wanted the game to go on. He’d wanted to keep the conversation going, to
keep their interaction going. But he couldn't. She’d made it clear that what
had happened between them was a mistake. He'd felt that way himself once he’d
had a little time to think. And had taken a cold shower.

He’d told her things he almost never spoke of:
his family, the accident. He was an idiot for letting himself slip, for feeling
something for her. There was no possibility he could risk more with a woman
who’d made it clear that night meant nothing to her—less than nothing since she
didn’t seem to remember much of it. It meant something to him, and it would
mean something to that boyfriend. Right…there
was a strike: she cheats on her boyfriend. And another one: she’s forgetful and
careless about mixing drugs and alcohol. A bloody head case. And finally,
strike three: she was part of that orange-wearing state college football
factory. Enough said. Move on. Even if Charles was going to splash in the
shallows, he would not. Especially if it took hip-waders.

And maybe Charles had gone beyond the
shallows, maybe he was in deep. He’d been unavailable for just about anything
since October. Since Jane. The angel. Darcy sighed. He knew he was being
unfair. She was a very nice, genuine person. He pulled out his phone and texted
Charles. “Are you at home? Have to
stop by on the way to Matlock.” The response, when it arrived a few
minutes later, put him right back in a foul mood. Sod it. Queens? On
Christmas Eve? Great. At least it’s on the way to East Hampton. Sort of.

After two
hours driving through a snowstorm and ten minutes yelling at Google Maps for
its inability to find the Forest Hills subdivision called Longbourn, Darcy
finally arrived at his destination. He pulled over to the curb and eyed the
two-story Dutch colonial. A faded plastic Santa Claus was plopped in the center
of the front yard. A dozen or so smiling penguins lined the walkway, red
ribbons wound around the front porch columns, and lights hung haphazardly from
the gutters, glowing in the mid-day gloom. Lovely. Now he definitely felt the
Christmas spirit.

It only got
better as he neared the front door. A giant plastic wreath, bedecked with
shiny rubberized berries and pinecones, greeted him. He could hear loud voices
and laughter inside.

Was that
shrieking?
He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. The door swung open within
seconds. A pale, sullen teenager swept her eyes up and down him, and then
squinted at his car. “You’re not my Chinese food.”

Another girl
suddenly filled the doorway, fixing her heavily made-up eyes on the bulging
shopping bag in Darcy’s hand. “Oh my God. Are those for us?” He was sure
her loud, high-pitched Queens accent had cracked the crystal on his watch.

Another
voice, deeper, louder and even more heavily accented, filled the air. “Lydia!
Mary! Get back in here and clean up your mess!”

“In a second,
Ma!”

He clung
tightly to the bag’s handle as the two girls leaned forward and stared inside
the bulging bag. The one desiring Chinese food looked at him dolefully. “Are
you here for Jane too?” She sighed and walked away.

“Jane!!!”

Relief
quickly arrived. “Darcy! What have you been up to? C’mon in here.” Charles
greeted his friend and pulled him by the elbow into the foyer. He smiled at the
overstuffed shopping bag in Darcy’s hand. “Look everyone, Santa is here!”

Darcy shook
his head. “Hello, Jane. Er, I can’t stay. I’m expected elsewhere. I, um, left
the car running. Coco is asleep inside.” He looked around the cozy living
room; it was full of oversized furniture, a huge Christmas tree, and an upright
piano cluttered with Christmas figurines. “You have a lovely home.”

Charles
stared between the two of them, his eyebrows raised. “Oh for goodness’ sake,
Lizzy. Tell him your big news.”

Darcy’s eyes
suddenly focused on a figure lounging in the doorway, his eyes fixed on
Elizabeth. He was smiling at her. Possessively. Great. Another boyfriend?

“Oh, um. I
finished my master’s program,” Elizabeth said.

“Your MFA?
Congratulations. That’s fantastic,” he replied. So who’s the guy?
“Sorry, what was your field of study?”

“Creative
writing.” She withstood his silent, impenetrable gaze, waiting for a follow-up
question. None came. He stood transfixed by the dark sparkling dare in her
eyes, heedless of any ensuing conversation.

Darcy stared past his friend and nodded. “Yes,
great. But I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Oh, are you still holding that sock search
against her? C’mon, Lizzy’s not looking for a date either. And you two seemed to
get along well at Netherfield. Made quite a soccer team, I thought. And we left
you two home alone that night when it stormed. I never asked. What did you do?
Oh, let me guess—Scrabble? Or did you read Shakespeare aloud by candlelight?”

He chuckled. “Honestly, I should apologize to Lizzy, leaving her home alone
with you and your books and your boring old Bach.”

“While you were off mooning to your
easy-listening music, we made do. Talked about music, our families…that’s about
it.” Darcy looked down at his feet and frowned.

“Really? That’s good. I was kidding about the
Bach, you know. Lizzy is a great girl. Smart, pretty, and obviously a damn good
soccer player. You should get to know her better.”

“Look, Jane is wonderful, all warmth and
kindness.” And hopefully more faithful than her sister. “She’s perfect
for you. But her sister is a different story. Elizabeth is, well, quite the
opposite.”

Charles, his brow furrowed, slowly shook his
head. “God, Darcy. Jane and Elizabeth are nothing like their mother. So what’s
the problem? She isn’t one of your society chicks? You can be such a jerk.”

“So I’ve been told,” he replied quietly. “You
know none of them mean anything, Charles. I’m merely an escort.” Darcy keyed in
the code and opened the car door. Charles reached in and patted the dog.

“She looks good, Darce. Healthy.”

“The surgery was a full success. She still
sleeps quite a bit, but her appetite is back.”

“That’s great. I mean, she’s what, nearly
fifteen years old?”

Darcy nodded. “I should go.”

Suddenly, Jane was beside them, holding out a
paper bag. “Lizzy’s cookies, fresh from the oven. Plus, I put in some coconut
snowballs and raspberry chocolate stars and a few other kinds.” She put the bag
in Darcy’s hands and gave him a brief hug. “Drive safely, Fitzwilliam. Merry
Christmas.”

Lump firmly in throat, Darcy smiled and
croaked out a thank you. He shook hands with his friend, wished him happy
holidays, and drove away, Coco curled up on her blanket beside him.

Charles put his arm around Jane and steered
them back to the house. “That was sweet of you. He doesn’t often get homemade
cookies in a lunch bag.”

“Okay, okay. It was very thoughtful. And nice
of Lizzy to send out a few cookies too.”

Jane shook her head. “Well, she wasn’t happy
about it. One batch was a bit burnt, and I took some of the good ones. Just
five or so, but she didn’t want to spare them.”

The couple stopped at the front door. “She
doesn’t like him much, does she?” Charles asked quietly.

“I don’t really know.” Jane wrapped her arms
tightly around Charles’s waist. “She hasn’t said anything to me, and normally
she has an opinion on everything.”

* * *

What a wonderful excerpt! Hmmm, odd behaviour from Elizabeth? I wonder what has got to her?! I feel so bad for poor, unwanted Darcy, not even worth a cookie. I read this story on the 'A Happy Assembly' website and really enjoyed it. I am so glad to see it published so that even more people can enjoy it and I wish J L Ashton all the best with her book.

Book Blurb:

“I don’t know why I ever thought we made sense.”

Smart, educated people are fools in love, especially when they’re mired in denial and misunderstanding.

In this modern spin on Jane Austen’s classic tale, Elizabeth Bennet, a grad student with literary aspirations, has found her big career break—and broken up with yet another forgettable boyfriend.

While grateful for the professional lifeline thrown by sports agent George Wickham, she is intrigued by the man she calls Mr. Noir.

Fitzwilliam Darcy, marked by tragedy, is a man accustomed to living his life in the spotlight even as his heart dwells on the dark side of loneliness. When he first meets Elizabeth, he thinks she looks like “a bloody pumpkin,” but he soon sees so much more. She, however, can’t even decide what to call him. Mr. Noir? Nurse Darcy? Sleazy British playboy? Ferdinand?

“So, it’s Fitzwilliam, right? That’s an amazing name, you know. Which came first—the name or the accent?”He looked at her.“Oh, come on. It’s like the name of a subdivision or a sofa at Pottery Barn. `Please note the extra firm cushions on The Fitzwilliam.’”
Can an accidental encounter that leads to shocking intimacy change the course they’ve both set and bring them into love’s light? Or will they stay mired in cold words and angry misunderstandings, overshadowing the deep connection they each feel? Getting beyond their own mistakes to find each other again is one thing; they also have to heal the wounds of their pasts. Can they do that together?

J.L. Ashton Bio
J.L. Ashton didn’t meet Jane Austen until she was in her late teens, but in a happy coincidence, she shares a similarity of name with the author and celebrates her birthday on the same day Pride & Prejudice was first published. Sadly, she’s yet to find any Darcy and Elizabeth candles on her cake, but she does own the action figures.

Like so many Austen fans, Jan was an early and avid reader with a vivid imagination and a well-used library card. Her family’s frequent moves in the U.S and abroad encouraged her to think of books and their authors as reliable friends. It took summers in London, a history degree, and another decade or two for her to start imagining variations on Pride & Prejudice, and another decade—filled with career, marriage, kids, and a menagerie of pets—to discover the world of JAFF. Today, in between writing Jane Austen variations, Jan lives and works in the Chicago area, where she volunteers far too often and is a member of the local and national chapters of the Jane Austen Society of North America.A Searing Acquaintance is her first book.

Meryton Press are kindly offering a giveaway of 4 e-books and 4 paperback copies of the book, open to international entrants. To enter, just use the Rafflecopter below and who knows, you might find yourself as one of the lucky winners :)

Since this is a blog tour there are other stops for you to enjoy with reviews, guest posts from the author, J L Ashton and other excerpts. Please drop by the other stops to find out more about the book and have more chances to win.

That was a fantastic long excerpt, ladies. Thanks so much for that. I think my mouth is watering at the thought of all those different varieties of cookies! This one is definitely going on my Wish List.

About Me

I've loved reading for as long as I can remember. I usually read romance, both historical and contemporary but I'm not usually a big fan of chick-lit. My favourite author is Jane Austen, and I really enjoy reading stories inspired by her work. I also love many of the works of L M Montgomery, Georgette Heyer and Mrs Gaskell, amongst others.